Ramsayings

Special thanks to Brian McTear and Weathervane Music for a lovely evening of great music, food and friends at Miner St. Studios, right around the corner in Fishtown. Port St. Willow’s music was perfect in that intimate setting. What a great way to start the Private Concert Series!

This is an amazing project that deserves more (and your) attention. See what Weathervane Music is up to here!

We had this series at Stylus Magazine called “On Second Thought” and I’m poring over the archives tonight. Wish I could rightly say how many bands I dismissed simply because Pitchfork hyped them to the moon. Have you really ever listened to that band called Black Kids? You have?! Wild…

When that column wasn’t dedicated to some madness, like elevating some second rate album to cult status, it was really good. Right now I’m drawing inspiration from that spirit of re-discovery and listening to Ted Leo with fresh ears. I only ever saw him play once and that was at teensy tiny Brownies on the LES. It was so loud I couldn’t properly hear for a good three days. Went with friends who were wild for him. I wasn’t feeling it. Bought Tyranny of Distance, listened to it a few times and felt like it was too poppy.

It’s funny how willing you are to listen to stuff like Wolf Eyes and Burzum before you have a kid who’s bouncing off the walls and your attention span flies out the window. Now I crave thoughtful pop like never before. Ted Leo’s suddenly right in my wheelhouse. Doesn’t hurt that the guy is one of the most good-natured indie rock guys out there, having fun with his brand of celebrity in videos like the one he did for “Bottled in Cork” above.

Loving this album. Feel like J. Mascis’ voice has always captured that spirit of not really trying, which was the apotheosis of all things good in the ’90s. Along those lines, I’m catching up with Wild Flag, too. ’90s nostalgia really has transformed into something else entirely, hasn’t it?

Really like the new Mountain Goats, too. You can listen to that one here. What’s become of me?

An aside: I blame “Portlandia” and Comedy Death Ray for my newfound appreciation of Aimee Mann. Helen was way ahead of me on this one. The latter show is also responsible for my renewed appreciation of Ted Leo, even though the “Brutalist Bricks” was quietly one of my favorite records last year.

Kurt Vile and Cold Cave are early winners, too.

Feel like this is as good a time as any to mention that the ex.fm Chrome extension finally has me listening to music tumblrs. Maybe that whole “blog j” thing Gerd Leonhard mentioned ages ago wasn’t as silly as I thought.

Not only was V/A — Casual Victim Pile Vol 1 one of my favorite records last year, I just ponied up and bought Vol. 2! You can snag copies of both LPs for just $20. Value, people!

(Confidential to Mr. Cosloy: please don’t let this series die. I will be so sad.)

Proof that Philly’s still weird: I met Phillies’ set-up man Ryan Madson at the Troc’s downstairs bar at Yo La Tengo last Thursday night.

He was floored by the band, calling it “pure music,” asking if they were on iTunes and was just an all-around sweet guy. He also shared that his dad played in a band like that in the ’70s. (Ryan, if you ever find this post, can we talk about your dad’s band?)

Me? I played it cool. You see, Ryan Madson is one of just two Phillies that I have a rehearsed story about their career. My Madson moment? 7 relief innings against the Mets. He gave up a homer to Beltran in the 13th, but I told him that he really showed something there. Gutting it out as a struggling young pitcher ain’t easy anywhere, let alone Philly, but he did it. Can’t wait until he’s our closer in 2012.

Yo La Tengo? Predictably great, although the cruel wheel (pictured above) fell on Sounds of Science, Part 2. Ouch. Definitely a “for fans only” set that was a slow burn. They finished with a dazzling second set that blew Ryan Madson’s mind. “Doesn’t it sound like 6 people are on stage?”